Church-of-englandism and Its Catechism Examined

Church-of-Englandism and its Catechism Examined, printed in 1817 and published in 1818, was part of Bentham's sustained attack on English political, legal, and ecclesiastical establishments. Bentham argues that the purpose of the Church's system of education, in particular the schools sponsored by the Church-dominated National Society for the Education of the Poor, was to instil habits of insincerity into the population at large, and thereby protect the abuses which were profitable both to the clergy and the ruling classes in general. Bentham recommends the 'euthanasia' of the Church, and argues that government sponsored proposals were in fact intended to propagate the system of abuse rather than reform it. An appendix based on original manuscripts, which deals with the relationship between Church and state, is published here for the first time. This authoritative version of the text is accompanied by an editorial introduction, comprehensive annotation, collations of several extracts published during Bentham's lifetime, and subject and name indexes.

James E. Crimmins is Professor of Political Theory in the Department of Political Science at Huron University College, and an Adjunct Research Professor in Political Science at The University of Western Ontario. He received his B.A. and M.A. in Wales, where he was born and raised, and his PhD in Political Theory from The University of Western Ontario. He has been the recipient of a Canada Council (SSHRC) post-doctoral fellowship and four other major SSHRC research grants. He served as Dean of Arts and Social Science at Huron, 1994-99. He has published extensively on Bentham and utilitarianism and other aspects of 18th and 19th century political thought.